title: Elevation of plasma soluble human leukocyte antigen-G in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: The subversion of immune responses that hepatitis C virus (HCV) uses to escape immune surveillance and to establish persistent infection has been poorly understood. The immune-suppressive molecule human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) has been supposed to play important roles in viral infection. In the current study, HCV genotype was analyzed in 67 chronic HCV-infected (CHC) patients. Plasma soluble sHLA-G (including sHLA-G1 and HLA-G5), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels were determined in these CHC patients and in healthy subjects by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the sHLA-G isoforms present in plasma were determined by Western blot. Data showed that HCV 1b was the predominant genotype, with a prevalence of 64.2%. sHLA-G was dramatically increased in CHC patients (median: 85.54 U/ml, range: 19.40-204.07) over that in normal controls (median: 9.13 U/ml, range: 5.07-69.56) (p < 0.001). Western blotting revealed that plasma sHLA-G was derived from sHLA-G1 and HLA-G5. IL-10 and IFN-γ levels were also significant higher in CHC patients than in normal controls (median: 16.3 pg/ml vs 1.8 pg/ml, p < 0.001, and 1025.3 pg/ml vs 858.3 pg/ml, p = 0.03, respectively). No significant association was observed for the HCV genotype and viral RNA load with the levels of sHLA-G, IL-10, and IFN-γ in CHC patients. These results indicate that elevation of sHLA-G expression in HCV patients was independent of viral genotype and viral RNA load. Given its immunotolerant property, an increase in sHLA-G may play a role in the persistency of HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ningbo Liver Diseases Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Peng-Jian
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Yan-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Shi-Xiong
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Dan-Ping
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Aifen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wei-Hua
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000097:blood; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D057131:Immune Evasion; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006680:HLA Antigens; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007371:Interferon-gamma